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This summer will be interesting.

I know it's not close to summer time yet, but I think this summer is going to be extremely busy for the Pacers.

Yes Bird thinks the Pacers have talent and a decent nucleus, but he's not blind or deaf to the things that are going on. It will not be a summer of will Bird make a move/moves? It will be a summer of what kind of moves Bird makes.

The best thing that can happen for the Pacers is for JO and Tinsley to come back this season, play well and NOT get hurt again. I know that will be hard, but I get the feeling those 2 are gone no matter what.

This stretch of JO and Tinsley being hurt has really showed Bird what pieces we need moving forward.

Granger and Dunleavy are going to be our wings, and rightfully so after the season they're putting together, what it will come down to will be what to surround them with at the PG, PF, and C positions.

Diener is going to be the backup PG, and I think he's played well enough for that.

Murph will probably be around just because he is probably the most unmovable in my eyes.

Unsure about Foster, I would like to have him around, but that will depend on what's offered for him.

Shawne will be back, as will Rush if he asks for something reasonable.

I think JO, Tinsley, Quis, and Ike will be gone.

The value we get for them, and what we do in the draft, will be HUGE for the Pacers organization.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

This is a good thread to discuss what the Pacers need. They need lots of things but
center and point guard are two pressing needs. The guards will be most likely gone at
9 which is as high as the Pacers are likely to get. Personally Thabeet seems like a good
choice. Through trades maybe they can pick up another player in this draft.
Love is good and Patterson out of Kentucky for power forward. I am not familiar with the
guards that are out there outside of the top three.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Wherever we draft, the team will report being surprised that player fell to us.

Our team will be entering training camp as healthy as they have ever been it will be reported.

JO will proclaim himself in tremendous shape and ready to lead this team and get back to an All-Star level. His knee will not be an issue.

Rush probably won't be re-signed because someone else was willing to pay more.

By the preseason, JO will be sitting out a game (or games) but it will be reported to be nothing serious... nor will it be reported to have anything to do with his knee (altho fans will note ice on his knee during the 1st preseason game)

Tinsley will suffer from an early season suspension, injury, illness... pick one or more!

JO will shoot a poor percentage from the floor and look slow with little lift.... and begin sitting out random games. The ice pack will be seen often. His trade value will plummet to new lows.

Crowds will dwindle to historic lows. A fickle fanbase will be blamed.

We'll have a similar record to this year by the All-Star break... and still be fighting for the 8th seed!

We'll stand pat at the trading deadline but talk of potential summer deals will be hinted at in the presser on the following day.

We'll finish the year 32-50 (and be in the thick of the playoff hunt right down to the final month).

And someone will post a thread talking about how interesting (and active) the summer is going to be for the Pacers

-Bball

Last edited by Bball; 02-24-2008 at 12:28 AM.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Wherever we draft, the team will report being surprised that player fell to us.

Our team will be entering training camp as healthy as they have ever been it will be reported.

JO will proclaim himself in tremendous shape and ready to lead this team and get back to an All-Star level. His knee will not be an issue.

Rush probably won't be re-signed because someone else was willing to pay more.

By the preseason, JO will be sitting out a game (or games) but it will be reported to be nothing serious... nor will it be reported to have anything to do with his knee (altho fans will note ice on his knee during the 1st preseason game)

Tinsley will suffer from an early season suspension, injury, illness... pick one or more!

JO will shoot a poor percentage from the floor and look slow with little lift.... and begin sitting out random games. The ice pack will be seen often. His trade value will plummet to new lows.

Crowds will dwindle to historic lows. A fickle fanbase will be blamed.

We'll have a similar record to this year by the All-Star break... and still be fighting for the 8th seed!

We'll stand pat at the trading deadline but talk of potential summer deals will be hinted at in the presser on the following day.

We'll finish the year 32-50 (and be in the thick of the playoff hunt right down to the final month).

And someone will post a thread talking about how interesting (and active) the summer is going to be for the Pacers

-Bball

Sounds about right. I keep hoping the Pacers will win the lottery, but I think the Knicks have already been guaranteed that.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

I just think the picture is finally clear to those in the front office. Though some may have seem the picture a little sooner then others, I think the painting or writing on the wall is finally complete.

I actually think it was a good thing to hang on to JO. Maybe he'll return late in the season and salvage some of his trade value. Though a lot of us were hoping for any type of trade to bring a spark or freshness to the Pacers, I think the majority of us can agree that the trade we had heard thrown out there weren't anything to get excited about.

Teams will be a lot more willing to make moves after their season ends earlier then expected. Yeah you had those teams who tried to make a move to become better now, but there will be even more willing to deal once they don't win the Championship or make the playoffs.

There's also teams who will be willing to give up draft picks then as well. Some teams don't need their picks, or prefer proven players whether then taking a chance on potential developing.

Look at Jason Richardson to Charlotte and Ray Allen to Boston.

Look at Phoenix dealing their picks last year.

Look at Portland being able to unload Randolph.

Things will get done this summer, but that doesn't mean we'll like the moves.

Like Bird said, he wants to win now, so I believe he'll attempt to make some moves that do that.

One thing already on our side, is we have our 1st round pick this year. No matter where that ends up landing, it'll be a valuable piece.

You can really start looking at the draft already and wonder what's going to happen. There's 3-4 PGs prospects due to go early, Rose, Mayo, Bayless, Gordon (yes he'll have to play PG).

And after those 4, they're are still some pretty good PGs out there in Augustin, Collison, Lawson

And a lot of the teams before us will have decisions to make. Miami has Wade and will probably go Rose unless they get the number 1.

Twolves have Foye, will they take another PG..possibly Seattle has Watson and Ridnour, guessing one of them would be traded

Memphis has Conley, Lowry and Crittendon, would they take another PG? The Knicks may take one, though they need a lot of things

The Clippers will probably take one for Livingston insurance. The Bucks have Mo Williams, will they draft one?

Then Charlotte has Felton, what will they draft?

They'll be plenty of questions this summer and during the draft, and I think the Pacers will be right in the mix of things. I think Bird will finally make his stamp on this franchise

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Gordon isn't and won't be a PG at the NBA level. He may try and
play some there. But he'll be drafted as a SG. And Mayo and
Bayless will be drafted as guys who can be combo guys that
might eventually be full time PGs.

After Rose, while he'll go after the others above, Augustine
is probably the next best 'pure' PG.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

I want to believe this summer will finally bring some substantive change, but the track record doesn't leave one optimistic, as Bball notes.

Now that Bird per his press conf. has had the "revelation" that this core (whatever he defines it as) isn't sufficient to get it done, it seems something could occur.

Some here are already calling our FO's performance a joke. My feeling is they have until Nov. 1 of next year to put their money where the mouth is-if that means taking Fritos for Tins and Cornflakes for JO, so be it-to finally change the core that Bird only apparently realized was inadequate.

Other, dare I say, aggresive or risky moves would not be unwelcome in addition to those allude to above. Something along the lines of moving one of our 875 SFs, some of whom actually have value, to improve another area of need.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Wherever we draft, the team will report being surprised that player fell to us.

Our team will be entering training camp as healthy as they have ever been it will be reported.

JO will proclaim himself in tremendous shape and ready to lead this team and get back to an All-Star level. His knee will not be an issue.

Rush probably won't be re-signed because someone else was willing to pay more.

By the preseason, JO will be sitting out a game (or games) but it will be reported to be nothing serious... nor will it be reported to have anything to do with his knee (altho fans will note ice on his knee during the 1st preseason game)

Tinsley will suffer from an early season suspension, injury, illness... pick one or more!

JO will shoot a poor percentage from the floor and look slow with little lift.... and begin sitting out random games. The ice pack will be seen often. His trade value will plummet to new lows.

Crowds will dwindle to historic lows. A fickle fanbase will be blamed.

We'll have a similar record to this year by the All-Star break... and still be fighting for the 8th seed!

We'll stand pat at the trading deadline but talk of potential summer deals will be hinted at in the presser on the following day.

We'll finish the year 32-50 (and be in the thick of the playoff hunt right down to the final month).

And someone will post a thread talking about how interesting (and active) the summer is going to be for the Pacers

-Bball

Hey! What're you kicking me for? You want me to ask? All right, I'll ask! Ma'am, where do the high school girls hang out in this town?

Re: This summer will be interesting.

I think the issue is not as much as management not wanting to change the core of the roster radically, but much more the core of the roster beying virtually immovable without taking an enormous ****load of crap back. And while that is fine with me with Jamaal, it's not with JO. He hasn't got the trade value what he used to had, but he has to play a part of the season to show that he still can.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Larry's not "win now" as much as he's "Win as soon as possible", and I don't mean "trade for the oldest people possible who are still better than young talent that hasn't developed yet". All he means is he won't make us worse in hopes that drafting high will make us better.

As for the "Fire Bird" nonsense, for what? Donnie Walsh is responsible for the majority of our situation. Hell he even made the last trade with Golden State, not LB. Give Bird time without Walsh around and see what happens.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

I think the issue is not as much as management not wanting to change the core of the roster radically, but much more the core of the roster beying virtually immovable without taking an enormous ****load of crap back. And while that is fine with me with Jamaal, it's not with JO. He hasn't got the trade value what he used to had, but he has to play a part of the season to show that he still can.

Larry's not "win now" as much as he's "Win as soon as possible", and I don't mean "trade for the oldest people possible who are still better than young talent that hasn't developed yet". All he means is he won't make us worse in hopes that drafting high will make us better.

As for the "Fire Bird" nonsense, for what? Donnie Walsh is responsible for the majority of our situation. Hell he even made the last trade with Golden State, not LB. Give Bird time without Walsh around and see what happens.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Larry's not "win now" as much as he's "Win as soon as possible", and I don't mean "trade for the oldest people possible who are still better than young talent that hasn't developed yet". All he means is he won't make us worse in hopes that drafting high will make us better.

As for the "Fire Bird" nonsense, for what? Donnie Walsh is responsible for the majority of our situation. Hell he even made the last trade with Golden State, not LB. Give Bird time without Walsh around and see what happens.

It's my understanding Donnie torpedoes a lot of Bird's moves for firing his lifelong buddy IT right after he came in. Walsh was reported to have said "If this is what you are going to do with one of your first moves then we gettin' it on Legend."

Unfortunately, we seem to be seriously, seriously stuck and I'm not sure how they can get out of it with the options at hand.

The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

As for the "Fire Bird" nonsense, for what? Donnie Walsh is responsible for the majority of our situation. Hell he even made the last trade with Golden State, not LB. Give Bird time without Walsh around and see what happens.

Mal, seriously, it's been 5 years. Even Bball says both need to go. Considering nobody knows who did what, how can you possibly say one needs to go but not the other?

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Mal, seriously, it's been 5 years. Even Bball says both need to go. Considering nobody knows who did what, how can you possibly say one needs to go but not the other?

I think most moves are known as to who did what, and the rest are easy to surmise. Walsh has largely been still calling the shots, and I want to see what happens with him out of the picture before sending Larry on his way. He could prove to be worse than he already looks, and if so by all means fire him. Hell, if he continues to look mediocre at best, feel free to fire him. But be sure.

Re: This summer will be interesting.

Wherever we draft (6th), the team will report being surprised that player fell to us (Chase Budinger) leaving EJ on the board.

Our team will be entering training camp as healthy as they have ever been it will be reported.

JO will proclaim himself in tremendous shape and ready to lead this team and get back to an All-Star level. His knee will not be an issue.

Rush probably won't be re-signed because someone else was willing to pay more.

By the preseason, JO will be sitting out a game (or games) but it will be reported to be nothing serious... nor will it be reported to have anything to do with his knee (altho fans will note ice on his knee during the 1st preseason game)

Tinsley will suffer from an early season suspension, injury, illness... pick one or more! In an unprecidented move, Jamaal Tinsley councels DunDun about Mike's offcourt antics after Mike gets caught with crack cocaine at Dancers on the westside, with possession of a hangun registered in Stephen Jackson's name. Mike claims he was holding the coke for Troy. Bird vows to make Mike and Troy pay for their mistake with a 2 game suspension and 25K fine a piece, claiming "Mike was in the wrong place at the wrong time".

JO will shoot a poor percentage from the floor and look slow with little lift.... and begin sitting out random games. The ice pack will be seen often. His trade value will plummet to new lows.

Crowds will dwindle to historic lows. A fickle fanbase will be blamed.

We'll have a similar record to this year by the All-Star break... and still be fighting for the 8th seed!

We'll stand pat at the trading deadline but talk of potential summer deals will be hinted at in the presser on the following day.

We'll finish the year 32-50 (and be in the thick of the playoff hunt right down to the final month).

And someone will post a thread talking about how interesting (and active) the summer is going to be for the Pacers

-Bball

Although somewhat hillarious and mostly ironic, I find BBall's projected post scaringly true. With the exception of the few things I corrected above.